The Abandoned and Terminally Ill Lady Married a Monster - Chapter 84

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Chapter 84

I still couldn’t join in on these conversations. I simply smiled quietly, watching the two of them and Father. It felt like Father was fully awake, laughing and chatting comfortably with them.

If I could contribute to making this scene a reality, the guilt I carried within me might lessen. I smiled more easily than I had in a long time, listening to the lively chatter inside the carriage.

***

Tiny yellow flowers bloomed in clusters on green stems.

It was the Duke’s private land, and as expected, there was no one around. The only people present were the Duke’s servants. All that surrounded us was a vast field of rapeseed flowers and the wide-open sky that seemed to touch it.

Yellow and blue. Had I ever seen such an expansive landscape and sky in my life?

The spring breeze drifted in under the brim of my wide white hat. Thanks to my braided hair, I avoided a repeat of the disastrous incident by the lake, where my hair had whipped around my face.

The breeze on my cheeks, the sunlight filtering through the shade of my hat, the wide-open view, and the warmth of the two people holding my hands.

I shouldn’t feel this way, I really shouldn’t.

I shouldn’t feel this good. But I did. It was so good that I even forgot the dull ache that constantly plagued me.

‘Don’t get carried away.’

As soon as I thought that, Kin gently tugged my hand.

“Come here.”

Bathed in the bright sunlight, Kin looked even more radiant than usual. Perhaps “pretty” was no longer the right word to describe him. His broad shoulders, his strong physique, and his sharp features glowed elegantly in the sunlight.

Standing flawlessly amidst the blooming rapeseed flowers, Kin was certainly far from the pretty image of his childhood. His hardened physique and strong jawline made that clear. Looking at his sharp eyes, the impression of a predator suited him more than a pretty flower.

But, with a pure, untainted smile on his face under the sun, the word “pretty” still fit.

“What do you think?”

You’re always prett… Oh, that’s not it.

Captivated by the picturesque scene, I couldn’t take my eyes off him and mistook his question as referring to his own appearance. Barely managing to collect myself before saying something foolish to Kin, I turned my head to follow his gaze.

“Ah……”

Below the low cliff, the ocean stretched out before us. Blue waves crashed against the sand, receding and returning in a continuous cycle. The white sand glowed softly under the gentle sunlight.

I heard Mother and a servant whispering behind me. I caught snippets like, “He’s painting that scene,” and “He was already painting it,” but I couldn’t be sure. I was too captivated by the ocean.

The waves left a sound in their wake with each ebb and flow. I listened quietly, tracing their movement with my eyes.

Looking at the ocean made my worries seem insignificant. It felt as if they had been swept away, leaving my chest feeling light and open.

How much time had passed?

Turning away from the ocean, I looked at Kin. He must have been watching me the entire time because our eyes met the moment I turned. Kin grinned.

“Shall we go down?”

There was a path leading down to the beach.

“Yes….”

As soon as I nodded, Kin led the way, as if he had been waiting for my agreement. As the downward slope increased our pace, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Young love, dear. Isn’t it?”

“They’re at a good age.”

Faint voices drifted from behind us. But I didn’t have the energy to respond. I followed Kin without looking back, quickly descending the path.

My feet touched the sand. The sound of the sand shifting beneath my feet was soft. It looked similar to snow, but the feeling was completely different. Kin stopped walking and suddenly began to take off his shoes.

“What are you doing? You have to dip your feet in the water when you come to the beach.”

At his rhetorical question, I unconsciously followed suit and removed my shoes. I slightly lifted my ankle-length skirt to keep it from dragging in the sand. With one step, my bare feet sank into the fine sand. It was ticklish, warm, and soft.

I placed my shoes on the sand. Seeing my shoes neatly placed next to Kin’s, it looked, with slight exaggeration, like an adult’s shoes next to a child’s.

“Hand.”

Without thinking, I took Kin’s outstretched hand.

I dipped my toes into the edge of an incoming wave. The water was colder than I expected, making me flinch. Kin chuckled beside me. As I continued tracing the receding waves with my foot, Kin suddenly spoke.

“I never understood couples who played those games at the beach.”

“Games?”

“You know, those childish things, like chasing each other.”

Why would those childish things…?

As soon as the question formed in my mind, a sense of foreboding followed.

…Don’t tell me he wants to do that with me? In front of Mother and Father?

I finally remembered Mother and Father. I turned my head towards the cliff where we had been standing. They were watching us, grins plastered on their faces. Beside them, a stranger I hadn’t seen before was busily painting.

‘This is embarrassing.’

Embarrassment washed over me belatedly. They must have seen everything while I was so giddy. Did they see me running around like a fool? They must have seen everything…

Unlike me, Kin seemed unfazed by any sense of shame. He bent down and whispered in my ear.

“Let’s make a bet.”